ups project sled nascar should be proud
Amsnow
Among the glitzy sea of red Scorpions at Waconia’s Vintage Snowmobile Show sat a 1988 Polaris Indy 400 with a white hood and a UPS logo emblazoned on it.
This hot rod is owned by Bruce Kuchnicki, from Cottage Grove, Minn., a loyal employee of UPS and a die-hard NASCAR fan. This sled gave Kuchnicki a way to honor his love of UPS and former NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett.
“It is a hot little 400. And I made it to play and show off at shows,” Kuchnicki said. The snowmobile started as a sketch on the back of a snowmobile poster in July of 2011. Kuchnicki, an employee of UPS since 1992, had a poster of Dale Jarrett’s car that was used as inspiration. The project revolved around the seat because the paint needed to match the seat. Jim Halfen made the seat for the snowmobile in his garage. Its’ skeleton was from a 1988 Indy 400 classic that was basically a pile of parts for sale in Ind., but had gold anodized rail suspensions, according to Kuchnicki.
Graphics on the sled were all produced by Wildside Graphix in Hastings, Minn. Snowmobile bumper stickers were, also, added to give it a NASCAR feel. A NASCAR inspired snowmobile needs a little pep too and the engine block was ported, has 38mm carbs, PSI twin pipes, and it is geared down. Kuchnicki considers it a race, trail and show sled.
“I got it to top 86 mph. And I weigh 250-pounds,” Kuchnicki said.
The sled was completed in December 2012.
AmSnow was actually able to get Dale Jarrett himself to comment on the sled… “Over the years, it has been amazing to hear from fans and supporters, and see the creative ways they express their loyalty to me and the other NASCAR drivers, teams, and sponsors. The UPS years had great employee support and it certainly looks like Bruce took his employee and driver loyalty to an even greater level of support by building his own UPS snowmobile,” Dale Jarrett said.
According to Kuchnicki, the best thing from this project is when people ride it and return with smiles. When not showing or riding his UPS race sled, Kuchnicki is spending time working on a new snowmobile project that he says will look like a Bud Light Bottle.